Should I buy a used 2017-2018 F80 M3?

[Baekhyunn]

I am 25 this year and wanted to get a treat for myself for dealing with college up to this point. I made a post before regarding C43 and M2, but some luck came into my way and now I think I will be going towards a used M3. The one I've been eyeing at is a Yas Marina Blue '18 M3 Executive Package listed for $62k but almost 16k on ODO. I love YMB but I hate the mileage that'son it already, especially for a 2018.

Two other listings include 2018 M3 Alpine White for $59k with 10k on ODO with executive package. Other one would be the same color with executive package but a 2017 also the same price but at 3k on ODO.

Now what hinders me is the maintenance and services later down the road. Only the YMB is at an actual BMW dealership so maybe they can offer some CPO for me? and the other two is at a Mitsubishi and Toyota dealer about 70+ miles away from me. I haven't taken the M3 to a test drive yet but will be doing so in a few days but I want to prepare my finances. How much are you guys paying for the insurance for this beast?

All boils down to this, should I get the '18 AW M3 with less mileage and a cheaper price vs the '18YMB? Or the '17 AW over the other two? Are there any differences between those 2 years?

Any helps and suggestions would greatly be appreciated as I can't stop thinking about this LOL.

[Flacht3]

Originally Posted by Baekhyunn

I am 25 this year and wanted to get a treat for myself for dealing with college up to this point...

Any helps and suggestions would greatly be appreciated as I can't stop thinking about this LOL.

You want to "treat" yourself for "dealing with" college? What a world we live in these days.

[dont_Mistak3]

Originally Posted by Baekhyunn

All boils down to this, should I get the '18 AW M3 with less mileage and a cheaper price vs the '18YMB? Or the '17 AW over the other two? Are there any differences between those 2 years?

I believe the only difference is that with 2018 the Executive Package comes with the new LCI Icon Adaptive Headlights. Totally transforms the look of the car imo (in a good way!) I could look at those lights all day.

Additionally in the 2018, the front seats come with black model specific labels as opposed to the silver ///M ones in the 2017.

I think the only other thing is just the addition of black 666m wheels but does not apply to you since car won't be zcp.

I have alpine white and personally love it. Might be "boring" but still makes the car look amazing. And CF parts really pop out. Plus you blend in with other cars well and won't draw much unwanted attention (police). YMB is a great color though if there would have been a YMB at the time I went to buy I would have probably went with that color.

As long as you can get service papers from the 16k that shows it was taken in for service at appropriate times then I wouldn't let that bother you. 2018s have been out for a while now.

Originally Posted by Chris_DM

You want to "treat" yourself for "dealing with" college? What a world we live in these days.

Well I graduated first, then saved up for a year after I started working for a down payment then I pulled the trigger on a new f80 once I knew I would be able to make the monthly payments. But if OP has a means to pull the trigger now and meet the monthly payments then I say go for it. But if you don't have a job lined up and aren't positive you can pay for it, then I'd recommend waiting to see where you end up after you finish college.

[LVI]

i would skip the baby blue and get the cheaper 2018 car with less miles. That said, you best think long and hard before spending that kind of money on a car at 25 if you just graduated college, especially if you're financing most/all of it.

[Baekhyunn]

Originally Posted by Chris_DM

You want to "treat" yourself for "dealing with" college? What a world we live in these days.

Not sure to laugh or feel a bit attacked by this comment lol. I don't see anything wrong with getting myself a gift for finishing America's educational system. It's a personal preference of what someone wants once finishing college. Some take vacation and some buys something to reward themselves of the years of sleepless nights and having a prized possession that will remind them that it was all achievable. Clearly we live in different worlds.

[Baekhyunn]

Originally Posted by mpower95

I believe the only difference is that with 2018 the Executive Package comes with the new LCI Icon Adaptive Headlights. Totally transforms the look of the car imo (in a good way!) I could look at those lights all day.

Additionally in the 2018, the front seats come with black model specific labels as opposed to the silver ///M ones in the 2017.

I think the only other thing is just the addition of black 666m wheels but does not apply to you since car won't be zcp.

I have alpine white and personally love it. Might be "boring" but still makes the car look amazing. And CF parts really pop out. Plus you blend in with other cars well and won't draw much unwanted attention (police). YMB is a great color though if there would have been a YMB at the time I went to buy I would have probably went with that color.

As long as you can get service papers from the 16k that shows it was taken in for service at appropriate times then I wouldn't let that bother you. 2018s have been out for a while now.



Well I graduated first, then saved up for a year after I started working for a down payment then I pulled the trigger on a new f80 once I knew I would be able to make the monthly payments. But if OP has a means to pull the trigger now and meet the monthly payments then I say go for it. But if you don't have a job lined up and aren't positive you can pay for it, then I'd recommend waiting to see where you end up after you finish college.

Thank you for your detailed post! I do love the new 2018 headlights as it does make me turn my head quite a bit whenever they pass by, so definitely thank you for that! I believe, I will pass on the ZCP because of the premium and not much of a gain to me imo. Alpine White is definitely a very clean color so I will take that into consideration. Do I want the color that best stand out or the packages/mileage that will fit me better.

Finally, I understand most would think that it's a bad idea to buy a vehicle especially at this price right out of college, but I have been saving up. I am very fortunate enough not to have school loans but just pay for my daily expenses. Again, thank you for your input. I will take into consideration.

[clutchdj]

Get what you want; imho the ZCP is worth considering over a base f80. The zcp has several nice improvements over the base f80. Wider tires, less spikey torque curve; etc. keep looking!

[avd3k]

62k is pretty steep for used I'd say. I just got new 2018 M3 with DCT/ZCP/Exec/etc for 67k, and I've seen other good deals in the price thread.

[Flacht3]

Originally Posted by Baekhyunn

Not sure to laugh or feel a bit attacked by this comment lol.

Probably a bit of both. It comes across as extremely disconnected from reality to think college is some sort of chore when millions of people would sacrifice a whole lot for that opportunity, which is how the "treat myself for dealing with college" comment comes across.

Originally Posted by Baekhyunn

Some take vacation and some buys something to reward themselves

A vacation and going $60k in debt are two very different things. But maybe you already have six-figures saved up, good job ahead of you, and have it all figured out but that's not how it came across...but shame on me for assuming.

Originally Posted by Baekhyunn

Clearly we live in different worlds.

Eh you may be surprised. I bought myself an S5 at 25, M4 at 27 and GT3 at 29. But I waited until I had $XXX,XXX in the bank + investments before buying the S5, waited until I hit a specific salary goal before buying the M4, and waited until I owned a house (well the bank still owns about 70% of it) and hit a bunch of other financial milestones before buying the GT3. We don't live in different worlds. We live in the same world...which is why I cringe when people earlier in their financial lives make bad choices they may regret. But hey, it's your decision.

If you want an opinion between your options, I'd cast a wider net and see if you can find the color and year/options you want at a lower price elsewhere. These are depreciating pretty rapidly so you can probably find a hotter deal outside of the Bay Area. Test drive locally, decide what you want, then see what you can find a few hours away...and be patient for the right deal.

[FriedPiston]

Everyone's financial situation is going to be different. I personally wouldn't recommend getting into a $50k+ depreciating asset unless:

1. Your annual salary is $90k or more ($100k+ in the Bay Area)

2. You have at least 6 months of unemployment safety net in your savings account

3. You live in your own house (inherited or self acquired)

With that said, I also wouldn't get a used M3 unless it's CPO, or if you know its full history.

[paliknight]

Originally Posted by Chris_DM

You want to "treat" yourself for "dealing with" college? What a world we live in these days.

Lol that's what threw me off too. I know many people that would sacrifice everything to come to the US, let alone graduate college here. I'm not going to judge though and hope OP just misspoke.

Agree though that buying an M3 is not wise unless he/she has already passed some big milestones with a significant amount of money saved.

Originally Posted by nars3000

Everyone's financial situation is going to be different. I personally wouldn't recommend getting into a $50k+ depreciating asset unless:

1. Your annual salary is $90k or more ($100k+ in the Bay Area)

2. You have at least 6 months of unemployment safety net in your savings account

3. You live in your own house (inherited or self acquired)

With that said, I also wouldn't get a used M3 unless it's CPO, or if you know its full history.

I'd say 200k+ for Bay Area or most other big cities in California.

Agree with your points though.

I'd advise OP lease an M3 or CS since it'll definitely be a lower monthly payment, he can get a better overall deal, won't get screwed with depreciation and can transfer it without taking a loss if needed in emergency situations.

[Darth One]

Staying away from the financial discussion, there is more than enough bandwidth devoted to that on this site already.

It seems like you know it's a no-brainer to get the cheaper car with less miles, but you really want YMB. Which i understand. In your situation, I would:

- broaden my search to out of town dealers who are within a road trip away (if you haven't already)
- wait for the exact right car to come along. There are so many M3's on the market and their owners flip them frequently
- if you simply cannot do either, use the white car as leverage to drop the price on the blue one. Tell them to come down to $59 or lower

CPO has value. I personally would always try to get it. Maybe you can negotiate that into the YMb deal